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Interesting Article On How Cars Took Over the Road



 
 
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  #71  
Old September 12th 18, 10:03 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling,uk.transport
NY
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Posts: 34
Default Interesting Article On How Cars Took Over the Road

wrote in message news
Unfortunately it would seem most of the crossings in this country have no
pedestrian or traffic detection systems built in or are just poorly
programmed. There's one in my high street that seems to have been
programmed
to stay green to traffic when the road is clear but as soon as a car comes
along to switch to red and let the pedestrians cross. But as you say, by
this
time the person who pressed the button has already crossed.


There is a very long bridge across the Thames near where I used to live.
It's only wide enough for one lorry (though two cars can just about pass in
opposite directions) so it has single-alternate-line working, controlled by
traffic lights which have sensors.

Late at night, when there's very little traffic, the lights tend to stay
permanently on green in the direction that the last car passed. However if a
car approaches from the green direction, the lights always turn red for a
few seconds as you approach and then back to green as soon as you've stopped
at the line - it is guaranteed that traffic from either direction will
*always* have to stop. I'm not sure what the logic is for that perverse
programming.

That bridge (at any time of day) is one of the worst for cyclists ignoring
the lights: very often when I was crossing on green I'd meet a cyclist
coming towards me (*). And it's not that the lights don't allow enough time
for cyclists to get across: I once cycled through just as the lights turned
red, and when I got to the other side, their lights were still red, so there
is evidently a long period when both directions are red to allow for slow
vehicles like cyclists and tractors.


(*) Bizarrely, a lot of them then tried to pass me on my *left*.
Instinctively if you meet a vehicle coming towards you when you aren't
expecting it, you move to your nearside (left) to give them room to pass,
and it's unnerving if the oncoming vehicle moves in the same direction...

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  #72  
Old September 12th 18, 10:20 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling,uk.transport
[email protected]
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Posts: 49
Default Interesting Article On How Cars Took Over the Road

On Wed, 12 Sep 2018 10:03:03 +0100
"NY" wrote:
wrote in message news
Unfortunately it would seem most of the crossings in this country have no
pedestrian or traffic detection systems built in or are just poorly
programmed. There's one in my high street that seems to have been
programmed
to stay green to traffic when the road is clear but as soon as a car comes
along to switch to red and let the pedestrians cross. But as you say, by
this
time the person who pressed the button has already crossed.


There is a very long bridge across the Thames near where I used to live.
It's only wide enough for one lorry (though two cars can just about pass in
opposite directions) so it has single-alternate-line working, controlled by
traffic lights which have sensors.

Late at night, when there's very little traffic, the lights tend to stay
permanently on green in the direction that the last car passed. However if a
car approaches from the green direction, the lights always turn red for a
few seconds as you approach and then back to green as soon as you've stopped
at the line - it is guaranteed that traffic from either direction will
*always* have to stop. I'm not sure what the logic is for that perverse
programming.


Possibly some kind of speed detection system so if you approach above 20mph
(or whatever) they go red to slow you down? They use those systems in Spain
quite a lot especially in small villages. There'll be an otherwise pointless
traffic light that will turn red if you approach it too fast. In the end I
started doing what the locals did and just ignored them.


  #73  
Old September 12th 18, 08:49 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling,uk.transport
TMS320
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Posts: 3,875
Default Interesting Article On How Cars Took Over the Road

On 12/09/18 09:46, wrote:
On Tue, 11 Sep 2018 19:07:55 +0100
TMS320 wrote:
On 11/09/18 14:51,
wrote:
On Tue, 11 Sep 2018 14:30:44 +0100 TMS320 wrote:
On 11/09/18 12:24,
wrote:
On Tue, 11 Sep 2018 11:04:56 +0100 "NY" wrote:

Some countries regard crossing the road at anything other than
a designated crossing, or crossing at a red pedestrian light,
as jaywalking - an

No surprise that the anally retentive germans are in that list.

Perhaps they don't die from old age waiting for the lights to
change...

Here in London its obvious who are the tourists or recent
immigrants at the crossings as they
just stand there like pillocks waiting for the green man even if
the road is clear for hundreds of metres in either direction.

Like you in France?

I was talking about crossing busy roads in france, not empty ones.


Depending on layout, local knowledge can be required.

There is a light controlled pedestrian crossing outside my house. This
is a residential road that I don't expect many tourists use it. Some can
be seen to cross without pressing the button, some press the button
before looking and then cross when they see it is clear, some press the
button and stand and wait. I usually cross 25 yards from the crossing.

Drivers stop for red even though they arrive after the person crossing
has long gone.


Unfortunately it would seem most of the crossings in this country have no
pedestrian or traffic detection systems built in or are just poorly
programmed. There's one in my high street that seems to have been programmed
to stay green to traffic when the road is clear but as soon as a car comes
along to switch to red and let the pedestrians cross. But as you say, by this
time the person who pressed the button has already crossed.


The other incomprehensible feature is when there is a delay from the
button press - but the delay is from the press, not from the previous
switch.
  #74  
Old September 14th 18, 01:40 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling,uk.transport
Bruce 'Not Glug' Lee
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Posts: 129
Default Interesting Article On How Cars Took Over the Road

wrote:

There is another rule in france - unlike in the UK they're not oblidged
to stop until the pedestrian is *ON* the crossing.


This has not been the case since 2011, see article R415-11 of the Code de
la Route:

'Tout conducteur est tenu de céder le passage, au besoin en s'arrêtant,
au piéton s'engageant régulièrement dans la traversée d'une chaussée ou
_manifestant clairement l'intention de le faire_...'
(emphasis mine)

If you just stand at the side like a lemon you'll just have a stream of
traffic going past you. All in all it makes crossing the road in a busy
french city a rather unpleasent experience.


When I still lived in Paris, I would regularly walk down the bd des
Maréchaux from Porte de Vincennes to Porte Dorée. That boulevard has
sevral passages without lights, and if you tried to cross, you were
subjected to horns, abuse and occasionally threats. The only way to stop
bullying is the use of force - or the credible threat of force.

--
john smith |MA (Hons)|MPhil (Hons)|CAPES (mention très bien)|LLB (Hons)
'It never gets any easier. You just get faster'
(Greg LeMond (1961 - ))

  #75  
Old September 14th 18, 02:50 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling,uk.transport
[email protected]
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Posts: 49
Default Interesting Article On How Cars Took Over the Road

On Fri, 14 Sep 2018 13:40:38 +0100
Bruce 'Not Glug' Lee wrote:
wrote:

There is another rule in france - unlike in the UK they're not oblidged
to stop until the pedestrian is *ON* the crossing.


This has not been the case since 2011, see article R415-11 of the Code de
la Route:


Clearly no one in France has read it, but then the French tend to take a
relaxed approach to rules anyway.

If you just stand at the side like a lemon you'll just have a stream of
traffic going past you. All in all it makes crossing the road in a busy
french city a rather unpleasent experience.


When I still lived in Paris, I would regularly walk down the bd des
Maréchaux from Porte de Vincennes to Porte Dorée. That boulevard has
sevral passages without lights, and if you tried to cross, you were
subjected to horns, abuse and occasionally threats. The only way to stop
bullying is the use of force - or the credible threat of force.


Hmm, not sure I'd want to put that to the test tbh. It might work 99% of the
time but the 1% is when you'll end up getting carted off to Emergencie by SAMU.

  #77  
Old September 14th 18, 04:20 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling,uk.transport
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 49
Default Interesting Article On How Cars Took Over the Road

On Fri, 14 Sep 2018 16:00:42 +0100
Bruce 'Not Glug' Lee wrote:
wrote:
On Fri, 14 Sep 2018 13:40:38 +0100
Bruce 'Not Glug' Lee wrote:
wrote:


If you just stand at the side like a lemon you'll just have a stream of
traffic going past you. All in all it makes crossing the road in a busy
french city a rather unpleasent experience.


When I still lived in Paris, I would regularly walk down the bd des
Maréchaux from Porte de Vincennes to Porte Dorée. That boulevard has
sevral passages without lights, and if you tried to cross, you were
subjected to horns, abuse and occasionally threats. The only way to
stop bullying is the use of force - or the credible threat of force.


Hmm, not sure I'd want to put that to the test tbh. It might work 99% of
the time but the 1% is when you'll end up getting carted off to
Emergencie by SAMU.


Bullies are - in the overwhelming majority of cases - cowards. The
certainty of being the subject of overwhelming force and of suffering
life-changing injuries, will make them back down.


The person with the life changing injuries will the pedestrian trying to cross,
not the bully in the car.

  #78  
Old September 14th 18, 04:54 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling,uk.transport
Bruce 'Not Glug' Lee
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 129
Default Interesting Article On How Cars Took Over the Road

wrote:
On Fri, 14 Sep 2018 16:00:42 +0100
Bruce 'Not Glug' Lee wrote:
wrote:
On Fri, 14 Sep 2018 13:40:38 +0100
Bruce 'Not Glug' Lee wrote:
wrote:


If you just stand at the side like a lemon you'll just have a stream of
traffic going past you. All in all it makes crossing the road in a busy
french city a rather unpleasent experience.


When I still lived in Paris, I would regularly walk down the bd des
Mar�©chaux from Porte de Vincennes to Porte Dor�©e. That boulevard has
sevral passages without lights, and if you tried to cross, you were
subjected to horns, abuse and occasionally threats. The only way to
stop bullying is the use of force - or the credible threat of force.


Hmm, not sure I'd want to put that to the test tbh. It might work 99% of
the time but the 1% is when you'll end up getting carted off to
Emergencie by SAMU.


Bullies are - in the overwhelming majority of cases - cowards. The
certainty of being the subject of overwhelming force and of suffering
life-changing injuries, will make them back down.


The person with the life changing injuries will the pedestrian trying to cross,
not the bully in the car.


I'm not suggesting you try to headbutt the car.

--
john smith |MA (Hons)|MPhil (Hons)|CAPES (mention très bien)|LLB (Hons)
'It never gets any easier. You just get faster'
(Greg LeMond (1961 - ))
 




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